1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is related to the medical field and, more particularly, disposable syringes used in the medical field in which all or part of the syringe may be disposed of after a single use. The present disclosure is further related to the use of disposable syringe, ampoules, and fluid containers adapted for association with controlled, programmable fluid injection apparatuses.
2. Description of Related Art
Disposable ampoules containing liquid medicaments are known in the medical field for use with a reusable type holder, such as hypodermic injectors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,950,717 to Bouet discloses such an ampoule for use used with a syringe-type holder having at one end a hypodermic needle and, at a second end, a piston adapted to engage the disposable ampoule loaded into the syringe holder. The ampoule is in the form of bellows-like tubular element having a disk-shaped end wall adapted to engage the piston disposed in the syringe holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,514,575 to Hein discloses a syringe that encloses a hollow flexible container used to hold medicament, which may be in the form of a liquid, emulsion, paste, and the like. The container may be connected at a proximal end thereof directly to a plunger disposed in the syringe barrel. The container is introvertable into itself so that action of the plunger toward a closed end of the syringe barrel causes the container to introvert and expel liquid or another material from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,311 to Pickhard discloses a syringe-type injection device that has a housing in which is arranged a holder for a deformable, medicament-containing ampoule having a bellows-type shape. An injection needle is provided at one end of the syringe injection device which communicates with the interior of the ampoule. A driving device is linked to the other end region of the ampoule, and which is used to dispense a medicament material held in the ampoule via the injection needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,889 to Futagawa et al. discloses a prefilled syringe having a barrel with a distal end forming a needle-connecting portion and an open proximal end. A plastic tubular container is disposed in the barrel and has a flexible hollow cylindrical body used to contain a liquid medicament previously charged therein. A plunger is inserted into the barrel through the open proximal end and is slidably held therein. The tubular container is held in the barrel so that an end or tip thereof may be placed in a lumen of the needle-connecting portion of the barrel. In use, as the hollow cylindrical body is emptied of fluid, the wall of the hollow cylindrical body is squeezed into a space between the barrel and the plunger as the plunger is pushed into the barrel.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0091361 to Rosoff et al. discloses a multiple-dose syringe including a barrel with a closed end and an open end. The closed end has an injection port adapted to receive a needle. A plunger is slidably disposed through the open end of the barrel. A container is connected to an end of the plunger to move with the plunger. The container has a deformable shell with an opening at a forward end thereof A predetermined quantity of fluid is sealed in the deformable shell by a closure member disposed over the opening. The container is slidably disposed in the barrel and includes a seal proximal to the forward end to form a first cavity in the barrel with a volume that is adjustable by moving the container in the barrel with the plunger so that fluid can be selectively drawn into and expelled from the first cavity. After at least a substantial portion of the fluid is expelled from the first cavity, the shell is configured to collapse by further pressure applied by the plunger to expel the predetermined quantity of fluid contained therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,876 to Poynter et al. discloses a compressible syringe including a bellows. The disclosed syringe bellow has rearward frusto-conical bellows walls that are thicker than its forward frusto-conical bellows walls. The bellow walls converge in an apex, with the rearward frusto-conical wall at a first angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the syringe and intersecting the apex, and with the forward frusto-conical wall being at a second angle with respect to the plane and with the first angle being greater than the second angle. The bellows rings increase in diameter successively from the rearward to the forward portion of the syringe
U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,134 to Trombley, III et al. discloses a syringe system that includes a barrel, a plunger slidably disposed within the barrel, and a collapsible cartridge in the barrel. The collapsible cartridge is inserted within the barrel and collapses as the plunger is advanced within the barrel to pressurize fluid within the collapsible cartridge. The collapsible cartridge includes a passage through which fluid passes when pressurized by the plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,419 to Dragan et al. discloses an ampoule having a body portion, a sealed end portion, and a sealed delivery portion. The ampoule is adapted for use in a delivery syringe system for controllably dispensing a low viscosity material, such as a liquid, gel, or paste. The ampoule has sealed rear portions adapted to mate with a plunger of a syringe so as to facilitate controlled dispensing of the low viscosity material. The syringe has a plunger adapted to grasp the collapsed ampoule, facilitating removal, as well as breach openings positioned to provide controlled initial flow of the dispensed low viscosity material.
It is also known in the medical field to use bellows-type ampoules and containers in association with controlled, programmable fluid injection apparatuses. One such example may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,739 to Kulisz et al. The Kulisz patent discloses a programmable pump with three separate components, namely, a driver, a reservoir, and a fluid tubing set connector. The driver provides an electromechanical assembly adapted to cause fluid to flow from the reservoir. The driver can be programmed for varying flow rates and alternating on/off delivery cycles through the control of switches externalized on the driver face. The top of the bellows reservoir includes a port, and the bottom includes a septum for filling by a needle. The tubing set connector subsequently connects to a port connector of the bellows reservoir. The tubing set connector provides an interface to any standard luer-type tubing set which then connects to a needle for infusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,471 to Zivitz et al. discloses a fluid-delivery apparatus for delivering a medicament to a patient. The apparatus includes a housing defining a passageway, a bellowed ampoule positioned to lie in the passageway of the housing, and a piston. The bellowed ampoule includes a body with first and second ends and is formed to define a cavity configured to contain the medicament. The piston presses the second end of the ampoule toward the first end to dispense the medicament from the cavity. The fluid-delivery apparatus includes a piston-drive system that is configured to apply a force to the piston to dispense medicament from the ampoule. The piston-drive mechanism includes a torque-production system and an actuator system. The torque-production system includes a gear train operated by an electric motor and is adapted to apply a torque to a lead screw to move a drive nut and into engagement with the piston. The drive motor is actuated by a motor driver and engages with the gear train via a motor shaft.
Further, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0218499 to Cahen discloses a device for injecting a fluid for medical use. The device includes a cylindrical component wherein a container for receiving the injection fluid is provided. The container has a bellows-shaped body made of deformable material and includes a tip through which fluid passes. The cylindrical component or base has a bottom wall through which an axially translatable piston rod is guided, and a top wall. The container has circular bellows-type rings. The distal end of the piston has a shape complementing the shape of a corresponding cavity in the bottom wall of the container. An activating mechanism may be connected to the piston to impart force to the piston and eject the injection fluid from the container.